Construction Tools & Equipment

I am currently a business of one but I do my best to buy used and often times broken or neglected equipment on the very cheap and repair or modify it to fit my application.

For occasional bigger jobs that I currently do not have a piece of equipment for I typically borrow or rent.

But still I prefer the buy cheap and fix approach. I now have some very good equipment that cost me far less than had I bought it in new or near new condition! Plus I know every detail of how its built and how to maintain it properly afterwards as well! A knowledgeable and diligent mechanic/maintenance person is priceless!

Many of my friends take the same approach as tcmtech, and one friend pretty much got a forklift for nothing. It's controls were frozen up and he used that ProLong lubricant to get it working. It's a hoss and a tough machine to operate, but a damn good thing to have around for a welder.

In motion picture production renting things appropriate to the job is pretty much standard operating procedure. In fact you actually cannot even buy the best cameras and they are only available by rental. (Panavision)

One advantage to renting in areas where technologies are fast changing is you may avoid having investments in tools that may well more quickly than in the past, become obsolete, and uncompetitive.

In construction typically this is not as significant a consideration.

Sometimes due to tax writeoffs for purchases of new equipment, that are not available for used, you may come out ahead with the purchase of something new for that reason, as well as lower maintainence. Certainly those tools and machines that your business uses most frequently can be justified to buy, and those used infrequently are best to rent.

I used to run my own crane and rigging business and I also had dirt work machines. To me it all comes down to cost. If you get enough work to purchase a machine and keep it busy this is usually the most cost effective. Provided you are set up to maintain the equipment and reconcile the end of life costs.

If the situation requires owned equipment to sit in disuse and depreciate while you make payments or spend your capital, then renting obviously makes more since.